Clearwing Butterflies

Clearwing Butterfly, Ithomiini

The Ithomiini is a tribe of Neotropical butterflies within the subfamily of Danainae, along with the tribes Tellervini and Danaini, which together contain close to 400 species. The theories of both Batesian and Müllerian mimicry were developed thanks to this tribe which is known for the unpalatable adults. This is due to their sequestered dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloids, most coming from the nectar of Eupatorieae and the leaves and stems of Boraginaceae. As the males visit these sources more frequently, the role of these alkaloids may play a role beyond defense.

Scales are not completely absent as seen in the edges of the wings.

Belonging to the tribe Ithomiini, the clearwing butterflies capture the imagination with their translucent wings. Butterflies and moths are of the order Lepidoptera, or "scaly wing" as the wings are covered in hair-like structures called setae. These are overlapping pieces of chitin, referred to as scales, which give the wings color and distinction. In the clearwing butterflies, the scales are missing. One hypothesis points to the difficulty of spotting these butterflies when in flight as the sunlight goes through the wings. The glasswinged butterfly, Greta oto, is the most well-known, but is not the only species with the characteristic clear wings.